These Ad Guys Held Employers' Websites To Ransom In Exchange For Job Interviews

Usually, young creative directors in the ad agency business try to get jobs by presenting portfolios of their best work. In Australia's tough job market, however, some are going to extremes. Such as buying up the URLs of the names of Melbourne's leading executive creative directors and holding them for ransom, until those employers agreed to meet with them.

When Andrew Grinter and Lee Spencer-Michaelsen— who previously worked at JWT, The Fuel Agency, and Marmalade — went on an URL-buying spree last fall. They then sent mysterious notes — using letters cut from magazines — directing each exec to a URL, which held their digital ransom note.

The demand was simple: "arrange a creative meeting or else the site gets it." Those who agreed were met by Grinter and Spencer-Michaelsen in traditional kidnapper ski-masks.

It worked: The pair has been working at DT Digital/Ogilvy since September.